Washing-machine.



A. SCHULTZ.

WASHING MACHINE APPLICATION FILED MAY s,4 1913.

Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES Arron/ver A. SGHULTZ.

WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY s, 191s.

1,1 1 1,238, Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

WTNESSES NVENTH: v Sc/wz,

, BIV

TTBNEY the device,

AUGUST SCHULTZ, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

Application led May 3, 1913. Serial No. 765,259.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, AUGUST SCHULTZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Washing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to laundry apparatus suitable for domestic use, and has for its object to simplify both the construction and operation of such devices to the end that they may be brought within reach of persons with small incomes and adapted to be operated with facility in the home, and with a minimum of physical effort. It is a purpose to permit the washing of delicate laces and the like simultaneously but separately from the general run of goods to be laundried, without involving the installation of an entire separate machine from that used for general work.

A further object is to enable the ready removal of the contents from the device and to provide a simplified construction for this purpose.

Another object is to enable the device to be arranged in compact order for shipment and storage, and to this end making it posL sible to detach the operating mechanism and pack it within the washing receptacle.

An attainment of the invention is the construction of a washing machine in such a manner that when dismantled for shipment or storage it consists of only two plain rectangular boxes without considerable projections, all the parts being contained therein that are required for its application to practical use.

Additional objects and advantages will be apparent, some of which will be apparent from the following description and from the drawings, in which.-

Figure 1 is a verticalsection in the major plane of the machine, Fig. 2 is a vertical vsection at right angles to Fig. 1 intermediately of one of the sections, Fig. 3 is a top view'of Fig. 4 is a detail of the operative mechanism, Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the modified staple for supporting the standard. y

There is illustrated a machine comprising two narrow deep boxes or receptacles 10 each approximately square in plan, and havin at their lower ends the drain cocks 11. They are mounted upon detachable legs 12 having upper tenoned ends inserted n suitable straps 13 attached to the sides of the boxes adjacent the corners. Each-of the boxes is provided with two hinged lids 14 and 15, the former stopping short of the center of the top of the box and the lids 15 being overlapped by them and having central notches 16 large enough for the piston rods to reciprocate in, as will be described. 'On their abutting sides the boxes each carry vertically alined staples 17 in the major medial plane of the device, as may be seen in Fig. 1, and on each side the boxes are connected by hook fasteners 18 or other suitable means. Set removably in the alined staples 17 there is a vertical standard 19 bifurcated at its upper part to provide arms 2O supporting pivotally at their upper ends a walking beam 21 carried by a large pin 22 removably inserted through the upper ends This beam is arranged to be oscillated by means of a link 23 connected to one end of the beam and to a suitable wrist 24 on a gear 25 mounted on the inner side of one of the arms 20, meshed with which gear there is another smaller gear 26, mounted on a shaft 27 carrying the operating crank 28. The walking beam is in two pieces spaced suitably to permit the insertion between their ends of the upper ends ofrespective piston rods 29, the beam and rods having suitable registering apertures through which are removably engaged pfs 30 to hold them in proper pivoted operative relation. The lower end of each of these piston rods has rigidly fixed thereto a basket cover 31 comprising one central upper bar 32, and two transverse lower bars' 33 attached thereto, the bar 32 being attached directly to the pisvton rod in a proper manner.

In the bottom of each box there is a spring-mounted foraminate bottom 34, f1tting snugly but slidably in the box, the springs 35 being located under respective corners of the bottom 34, resting upon suitable blocks 36 connected by rods 37 by which they are held in proper position beneath the bottom and resting upon the floor of the boxes 10. Removably engaged in Athe boxes there is a net bag 40, for holding fabrics to be laundried, the upper edges of each bag being held in a suitable rectangular frame 41 tting loosely in each box and correspond- 'ing to the shape thereof, the frame including two strips-an inner and an outer oneat each side, between which the edges of the net are held, the strips 42 on two opposite sides being disposed over and secured upon those 43 of the other side. The strips 42 are the same thickness as the bars 33 of the basket cover, so that when the bars 33 are resting upon the side bars 43 of the basket frame, the upper bar of the cover rests over the bar 42. A staple 44 is carried by the bars 42 at each side of the frame, so that b v presenting one end of the bar 32 of the cover through one of these and forcing it through until the opposite end of the bar falls inward of the other staple, both ends of the bar 32 may be engaged in the respective staples and the cover held securely in place. By reason of the fact that the cover fits snugly in the box 10,liability to disengagement thereof from the basket frame is obviated.

The baskets are of such depth that when the respective pistons are at the upper limit of movement the baskets clear the bottom 34, but will strike forcibly thereagainst at the lower limit of movement of the pistons.

In use, the device is assembled as described, the covers removed from the bags, and the fabrics to be laundried introduced in the bags, it being desirable to introduce as nearly as possible a like quantity of goods in each bag, so that they vvill balance each other to some extent in the operation of the device and will require less eort for the operation of the machine. A suitable quantity of saponified Water or plain vvater and soap in any form, is introduced in the boxes, the covers placed on the bags, and the bags introduced in the boxes. For the ready introduction and removal of the bags, the pins 30 are Withdrawn, to release the piston rods from the Walking beam, and the piston rods, bags, and covers are removed from the device.

In operation the. Weight of the goods at one side falling upon the spring mounted bottom 34 vvill cause a depression thereof, ivith a resultant forceful movement. of vvatcr through the openings in the bottom, impact of which and its passage through the fabric. will facilitate the removal of dirt therefrom. The garments when removed from the boxes may be allowed to drain While still in the bag, and fresh bags may be used for Washing additional fabric while the other fabrics are draining.

It will be observed that the device may be easily operated on account of the arrangement of the small gear 26 operating a larger one 25 with which the link 23 is connected,

and the device can be either operated by rotary movement of the crank or by oscillation thereof back and forth, the degree of movement of the pistons in their reciprocations being governable in that manner, so that if very delicate fabrics are to be Washed requiring only a slight movement in the cleansing liquid the necessary operation may e obtained.

Then it is desired to dismantle the apparatus for storage or shipment, the parts being thoroughly dried, the standard 19 is drawn upwardly from the staples 17, after detachment of the pistons 29, and the link 23 is disengaged from the Wrist 24 on the large gear. The vvalking beam may bedisconnected from the standard by Withdrawal' of the pin 22, and these parts introduced into one or separate boxes 10. The legs 12 may be extracted and also put in one of the boxes, and if desired the spigot 7 may be of the familiar type suitable for unscrevving, so that this also may be put in one of the boxes obviating the liability of its breakage. The staples 17 project but slightly from the sides of the boxes which makes no appreciable difference, but if it is found desirable, they may be in the form of pivoted devices adapted to fold upwardly against the sides of the boxes, as shown in Fig. 5.

It will be apparent that when the device isassembled the engagement of the standard 19 in the staples 17 is the principal means for holding the boxes in proper operative "elation. and it may be found unnecessary to use the fasteners 18, these being provided simply to prevent pivotal movement of the boxes with respect to the standard 19.

That is claimed is:

`In a device of the class described, a receptacle, a basket element having a frame snugly and slidably engaged in the receptacle, a cover including -tvvo elongated oppositely projecting members disposed to be held against reciprocation by the sides of the receptacle, and yoke devices at opposite sides of the basket frame to receive the pro-.

jecting members slidably therethrough, for removal by reciprocation of the cover on the frame Without the receptacle.

In testimony vvhereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

MARION BIRRELL. 

